The present invention relates to tobacco, and in particular to a process for altering the character of a tobacco material (e.g., by providing an additive in contact therewith).
Popular smoking articles, such as cigarettes, have a substantially cylindrical rod shaped structure and include a charge of smokable material, such as shreds or strands of tobacco material (i.e., in cut filler form), surrounded by a paper wrapper, thereby forming a tobacco rod. It has become desirable to manufacture a cigarette having a cylindrical filter element aligned in an end-to-end relationship with the tobacco rod. Typically, a filter element includes cellulose acetate tow circumscribed by plug wrap, and is attached to the tobacco rod using a circumscribing tipping material.
Tobacco undergoes various processing steps prior to the time that it is used for cigarette manufacture. Oftentimes, tobacco is chemically or physically treated to modify flavor and smoking characteristics thereof, or flavorful additives are contacted with the tobacco. For example, it may be desirable to add menthol to tobacco cut filler prior to or during cigarette manufacture.
It would be desirable to provide a process for efficiently and effectively altering the chemical nature or composition of tobacco, and in particular to provide a process for incorporating selected components in intimate contact with a tobacco material.